Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Zagreb

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens and in Zagreb: $1,806 and $1,750 a month, rent and utilities included.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Zagreb

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Athens and in Zagreb actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,750 in Zagreb.

Athens $1,806
Zagreb $1,750

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $2,611 in Zagreb.

Athens $2,731
Zagreb $2,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $3,472 in Zagreb.

Athens $3,656
Zagreb $3,472

Living in Athens is roughly 3% more expensive than in Zagreb, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Zagreb 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$12.46 €11.12

33.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$63.1 €56.3

4.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$8.30 €7.40

33.25%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.55 €2.27

62.35%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 €2.50

$2.97 €2.65

-5.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$2.63 €2.34

-78.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$3.31 €2.95

70.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$4.50 €4.02

21.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.28 €1.14

53.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.66 €1.48

-15.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$2.70 €2.41

4.81%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$4.00 €3.57

26.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$15.17 €13.54

1.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$12.00 €10.71

-13.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$17.64 €15.74

7.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.31 €2.06

-6.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.72 €1.53

11.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.07 €1.85

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.50 €2.23

-12.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.35 €1.21

-18.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.18 €1.06

-4.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.18 €1.05

-6.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.35 €1.20

-38.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$5.91 €5.27

-5.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$10.20 €9.10

-0.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.64 €1.46

32.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.57 €2.29

-4.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.61 €0.54

126.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$53.3 €47.57

-42.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$2.22 €1.98

96.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.43 €1.28

-27.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$12.01 €10.72

42.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.85 €1.65

24.86%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.0K €25.0K

$28.4K €25.4K

-1.62%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.0K €25.0K

$27.5K €24.6K

1.76%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$210 €187

$218 €195

-3.94%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$26.70 €23.83

$23.68 €21.13

12.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$41.14 €36.71

-26.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$50.2 €44.75

8.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$18.69 €16.68

39.27%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$8.76 €7.82

23.06%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$575 €513

$489 €436

17.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$10.0K €8,926

31.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$106 €95.0

-12.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$42.58 €38.00

-4.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$96.2 €85.9

8.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$108 €96.5

18.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$861 €768

-12.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$1,459 €1,302

-11.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$1,038 €926

12.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$5,152 €4,598

-22.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$3,551 €3,169

-2.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$1,984 €1,771

-37.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.3

35.76%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Zagreb: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Zagreb

$652 37.3% 0% $0

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Zagreb

$318 18.2% 1.1% $3.5

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Zagreb

$203 11.6% 24.4% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Zagreb

$283 16.2% 6.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Zagreb

$159 9.1% 3.5% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Zagreb

$68 3.9% 11.1% $8.5

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Zagreb

$65 3.7% 41.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $861 in Zagreb. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zagreb pays 60% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $63.0 in Zagreb. Groceries flip the comparison at $315 vs $318, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

05:09 5:09 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

767,131 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Zagreb 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Zagreb

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Athens vs Zagreb: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zagreb wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zagreb the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 60% lower in Zagreb. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Athens versus $861 in Zagreb. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zagreb – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $1,750 in Zagreb – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,750 in Zagreb versus $1,806 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Zagreb but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Zagreb the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zagreb delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,750 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zagreb hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Zagreb are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Zagreb gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.